Ragnarok: Kali Yuga - Age of Discord
by WilliamClifford
Summary: An unfortunate series of events triggers intergalactic conflict as several factions struggle over control of the Republic. In the meanwhile, a threat from beyond descends upon the entire galaxy. In a world where all morality is shades of grey and heroes belong to a time long since passed, who will emerge the victor? Set shortly before the establishment of the Empire. AU
1. Chapter 1: Yerdis' Prophecy

**Chapter 1: Yerdis (Prophecy)**

* * *

><p>Three times the bells tolled. Three times they rang, resonating in the air like bellowing alarms forewarning doom. She knew what she had to do and even though the air was filled with smoke and sulphurous ash, she pressed on. And though the ground quaked underneath her and threatened to give away with each step she took, she climbed up the steep mountain that towered in front of her. Though it was dark and the heat oppressive, she knew that turning back was not an option. As she scaled the huge rock she bore witness to two brothers, one dressed in black the other in white, both wielding sabres and both wearing the proud scars of warriors upon their bodies. The one in black shed a single tear before striking down the one in white; the one in white shed a single tear, before he, in his last throes, struck down his brother in black. So it had to be; one could not exist without the other.<p>

And so she pressed on and saw powerful men signing papers and shaking hands, preparing for great struggles to come. And she saw them huddled around in corners, conspiring against each other, whispering one lie to some and different lies to others.

Three times they tolled again, this time much louder that before. She had never heard an apocalyptic cacophony of such ear-splitting magnitude before. It was anguish and Armageddon. It was death and disorder. It was pain and pandemonium.

Now she bore witness to a mighty king with long silver hair, dressed in black and wearing a crown of bones upon his head. In his right hand he held a sabre and in the other he held a chain and with those, he would carve out a great empire for himself. A spider crawled out of the King's mouth, weaving a web of deceit that would stretch from one end of the galaxy to the other. A queen, a cleric and a warrior would get caught in the web, fighting a hopeless endeavour to escape its silky threads. It was to no avail. At his sides stood his brothers, one tall and strong, the other small and frail. The king would laugh and his brothers would cry.

Yet again the bells rang. Their harrowing sound made her quiver with fear.

And yet, she could not help but find it beautiful. It compelled her, lured her in with its sweet promises of eternal pain and suffering, songs of lamentation and morose compositions. She resumed her journey up the mountain and before long she could see all the way to the very top. And even though there were smoke and ashes in the air, obscuring her view, she could just barely make out the silhouette of a lonesome tree standing at the summit. Resilient as herself, defiant to the end. She pressed on through the fumes and the intense warmth, paying little mind to the heat that burned her skin and the soot that clogged her nostrils. The old oak called out to her with its screams of anguish. Suddenly she heard a horn klaxon, a horn that could eat stars and destroy planets. The ground quaked and the tree perished before her very eyes as the horn played its macabre melody. She turned her head and saw a great iron eye hanging in the sky, eclipsing the sun and dimming the light even further. She froze as it looked at her and she looked right back at it.

"Jormungand!" she cried at the top of her lungs. "You have awoken!"

Once again the horn bellowed and now 1024 men and women of different shapes and sizes appeared before her. They would whisper and conspire like the men she saw further down, but somehow it was clear to her that these men were different; these men and women were of old blood and old money.

The horn roared once again, this time, she knew, for the last time. The sound of the horn was replaced by that of hooves galloping over rock, slow, deep and devastating like thunder.  
>"The Last Avatar!" she cried. "Rejoice! Our doom is upon us!"<br>And so a man approached from the skies, riding his proud white steed. In his right hand he bore a sabre and in the other, a flame. A crown of iron rested upon his head and his cloak was white as ivory. With one swing of his sword he decapitated all the 1024 men and women in front of him. As their blood splashed upon him, it discoloured his robe, which quickly turned black as night.

Another horn bellowed, even deeper than before. A dark void opened in the sky and thousands of twisted creatures of cruelty hitherto unknown emerged. Savages with mutilated bodies and grotesque appearances poured in and cried a warcry so loud and so frightening that she thought that her eardrums had shattered. These beings, these brutish fiends would be the bane of all life, cleaning the slate and making way for new life. The rider and his squire took up their swords and challenged the beings. They rode against them, filled with fury and bloodlust. A dark shadow descended upon her and her ilk. A thousand shadowy appendages grabbed her and pulled her in, consuming her. Making her one with nothingness.

She gasped for air. She was soaked in sweat and so were her sheets. She sat herself up, wiped the sweat from her face and rubbed her eyes. "Gee…" she whispered to herself. It was quite embarrassing, actually, but ever since her blood had begun to come once in a while, she had been having these recurring dreams. She lifted her blanket to check. "Oh no…"

"Another nightmare, Yer?" Ryam asked her, whispering softly. Ryam slept in the bunk bed at the left side of her own, in the second bed from the floor. He was quite the light sleeper, so oftentimes when she had her nightmares she would wake him. He had sworn to her that it was not a problem and that she needed not concern herself, but she could not help but feel bad whenever she robbed him of precious sleep.

"Ryam…" she whispered. "It happened again, Ryam".  
>Most girls had their blood before they were 13 years of age and had been sent away to be trained as Seydkvinnor, but Yerdis' blood had first come now at the tender age of 16. When she was 15, when they thought that she would never be a fertile woman, the elders at the cloister had told her that she had been blessed with a pure body and that she could train as an initiate with the other boys. Now however, things had changed and her impure flesh had betrayed her. Ryam, however, was always loyal.<p>

"I'll get some towels from the privy" he said in a hushed voice. "You can borrow one of my spare robes for today". She looked at the clock hanging on the plain white wall in the other end of the dormitory.

04:37

It would be another 23 minutes before they were called for breakfast and morning meditation. "Okay" she said. "Please be quick about it, Ry" she said, spying for witnesses. He nodded and sneaked off. Five minutes he came back with the towels. She cleaned up, handed him her sheets and took his spare ones. The towel was used to halt the flow. When the washladies would come by later, he would tell them that the sheets were his, informing them that he had nosebleeds when he slept. 15 minutes later when old Master Leodoth came to wake them there was no trace of the little accident that had happened the night before.

The old master, gout-stricken and toothless as he was would lead the initiates to the meditation court to greet the rising sun. "There is no emotion, there is peace" he would recite as he had thousands of times before as the children would wash their feet, hands and scalps before entering the court. "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge" he would say in his frail, old voice as Yerdis washed her scalp in the waterbowl. She let her fingers run along the tegument where her beautiful flaxen curls used to be. Life in between the walls of the cloister was simple and pleasant, but most of all she missed her golden hair. The golden curls she had been bequeathed.

When Yerdis was a little girl, her mother would always tell her this story of how Yerdis' father had cut off her hair because he loved her so much and wanted to have something to remember her by. Yerdis' mother would smile and stroke Yerdis' hair as she told her that her father had promised to give her and any daughters they had a head of golden hair, if just she would marry him. He had been very poor and this was why they only had one daughter, why he always had to work so much and always was in debt.

Even back then she knew this story not to be true. It was a nice story, but that was all that it was. One day, the debt had become too much for her father to bear. When it turned out that Yerdis was force-sensitive, he had handed her over to the Jedi at the cloister.

Since then she had only left the cloister twice. Once because she snuck out. She had been nine years of age at that point. She had missed her mother ever so dearly and wanted to see her. When she found her old home, she found it to be abandonned. An old man that had moved in next door, told her that the neigboring lady had been claimed by consumption and that the husband had moved on to Tatooine. When she returned in evening as the sun went down, Master Leodoth did not seem angry at all. Rather calmly, he told her that she had acted selfishly and that she would have to conquer such arrogance if she ever wished to be one with the force. The following three days after that she was not permitted to eat or drink. It had been a crushing experience, but it had rid her of her egotism and sent her on her way to enlightenment.

"There is no passion, there's serenity" Master Leodoth uttered as Yerdis found her way to her meditation rug. She sat down in the prescribed way for meditation, the padmāsana.

The second time was when she, Loukás, Andros and Ryam had been sent to Dantooine to be evaluated for their force potential. A little old master with a cane, a long beard and a bald head with liverspots had examined them. All he would do was look them in their eyes for a little while. Then he decided that only Andros had the potential to become a knight, and that the rest of them would remain at the monastery to become monks of the order. Although Ryam had seemed a little disappointed, it was a nice day. Andros had also kissed her cheek, just like her mother used to. When she told old Master Leodoth, he had beaten him with a rod to teach him to conquer his lust and his sinful flesh. That was the last time she saw Andros.

The last couple of years, she had noticed something had changed. There were no other girls in the cloister and all the boys her age were beginning to look at her differently. She didn't know what to think of it and didn't quite understand why they were paying so much more attention to her than before. The boys seemed to want to wrestle more with her than she remembered from her childhood and Leodoth had begun setting up counselling sessions for all the boys - which meant for everyone but her, the younglings and the old monks. When she mediated she sought answers for these changes but found none.

Today, however, it was different. She sought answers for her dreams. She had many different nightmares, but this one was brand new, more vivid than any of the other ones. They made little sense to her, she had only getting them for about eight weeks now and as the Master uttered the words "There is no self – there is the Force" she was already deep within meditation.

She painted a map within her mind, letting the force flow through her. She painted in all the planets and the stars, obliterating her _Nu_ – her ego - and becoming a part of the _Qyâsik – The Force._  
>And as <em>Nu <em>was shattered and abandoned, so was _Kesmas. _She concentrated on the teachings – the nine _te'__Saarai _of the Jedi.

_Kesmasur aker – Xox Ja'vieinn xe Qyâsikinum su evitær_

"There is suffering – this creates the self, separate from the force"

_Hâskur aker – Xox Naileinn nuo Merai evitær_

"There is anguish – this creates the fear of change"

_Nailör aker – Xox zo Manyr krevas, kia Mirtisiurinn aker, evitær_

"There is fear – this creates the false belief that there is death"

_Sethiur aker – Xox zo Manyr krevas, kia kair te'Velör asura geras priaet te'Êmaz aka, evitær_

"There is hate – this creates the false belief that some beings are higher than others"

_Lausklaukedûmur aker - Xox zo Manyr krevas, kia te'Velör xe te'Êmaz sarysis su aka, evitær_

"There is disillusion – this creates the false belief that beings are separate from each other"

_Thælisasur aker – Xox Mesinisins geist evitær_

"There is attachment – this creates the lust of the flesh"

_Azinimaslaukedûmur aker – Xox Midwangeistinn evitær_

"There is ignorance – this creates the lust for power"

_Atmânur aker – Xox Garsasgeistinn evitær_

"There is aversion – this creates the lust for recognition"

_Qyâsikurinn aker – Xox Azinimazus'Qoinn auktoier_

"There is the force – this provides the path to enlightenment"

And though the universe and the force streamed through her and though she sought, she didn't find she was looking for.  
>An hour with meditation passed. After that, breakfast was served in the refectory, although the townspeople had not been as charitable with their donations as they once were. The bread was mouldy and the butter-tea was very dilute. Brother Cole the Mole, so called for the giant mole on his philtrum, was talking about a bad "ecunemy", whatever that was. She felt a little stupid when she didn't know what the older brothers were talking about.<p>

Even though initiates did not normally converse the monks, they were the only ones that were ever allowed to leave the compound and therefore the only ones who knew what was going on beyond the monastery walls. She would often spend many hours in the library, reading books to understand what the brothers were talking about whenever she overheard them trading words. She had read _The Galactic Republican Federation and Her Territories _to understand where the places they were talking about were in relation to each other and what they were, _The History and Rites of the Holy Order of the Jedi_ to understand which kind of happenings they had attended and why they were there and _Dark Lords of Korriban_ to understand when they were speaking upon matters of… dark heresy. This was how she kept up-to-date with the rest of the world around her. This "ecunemy", however, she had never heard of. She would probably be able to find it in some old tome about the many different disturbances in the force.

The world around her fascinated her although she knew she would grow old and become one with the force before she would ever see the red dunes of Geonosis or the vast oceans of Manaan. Yet the idea of seeing the lush environment of Alderaan or the old ruin city of Taris enthralled her. "I wonder if all they have there is stale bread and thin butter tea" she pondered as she sipped upon the latter.

"Have you heard, Brother Avarnosos?" she overheard Brother Karanian say. "The great honoured Lord Palpatinos is trying to pass an amendment to the royal constitution. He's giving the noble gungans right to vote at the royal elections " he continued. "Those savages? What a cretinous idea to give them influence in politics they do not care for nor understand" Brother Avarnosos replied. "Pray, which one of the Palpatinoses would that be? Kaisaros?" he asked while chewing on a nice juicy piece of chicken-leg. "No, I mean Anastasios, the younger brother" Karanian explained. "The older brother is busy with intergalactic politics as a senator these days". "That's what I thought!" Avarnos exclaimed. "Kaisaros would never do something like that. He knew that those savages belong in the swamp" he continued. "I would be more careful before spewing such opinions" Karanian said. "Remember that no being is above another" he explained. "Yes well… I think your interpretation of the old doctrines might be a tad… dogmatic, brother" Avarosos replied. "Perhaps we should just agree to disagree?" Karanian proposed. "Cheers to that" his brother-in-cloth toasted as they lifted cups together and drank.

Next up was the memorisation of the holy texts in the locurtory, something most of the boys found an arduous task. All the old scrolls were written in the ancient Sith'arii, a dead language from an age long since passed. They told of times before the galactic republic – The _Khaliur Nwul -_ in days where the ancient Jedi – the Ye'daii - ruled the galaxy in peace and solidarity. They told tales of dark traitors who betrayed the Ye'daii and created the Dark Side, plunging the world into the age of discord, tainting the minds of people everywhere with the lust of the flesh and the illusion of the self. This was the _Khaliur Netvarka, _the current age. Yerdis spoke the ancient tongue to a point where she almost spoke it fluently at this point.

They had all been told to practice _The 75 vices of Man_, which luckily was a newer text and therefore written in the common tongue. Yerdis, however, recited the forty-page long Sith'arii _Epiphanies of Master Eklben_ to perfection, which impressed the Head Librarian Ludderick. "Alright, that will do, children" he said as he polished his spectacles. "Now run along and play. Help some of the laymen with some work if you feel like it" he declared. "Master Leodoth and I will see you for philosophy class in this room in four hours" he said, as all the children rushed out the door.

As Yerdis emerged from the old dusty room and walked out into the warm summer sun, she tripped and fell from the pathway leading from the locurtory to the library, falling down on the soft ground besides her. Ryam towered over her with a cheeky grin upon his lips and a cheerful flare in his eyes, hidden underneath his bushy eyebrows. "You stupid dog!" she laughed as she jumped to her feet, chasing him across the yard. Ryam was quite strong, but Yerdis was much faster and so she caught him before they reached the piggery and wrestled him to the ground. Two laymen shook their heads as they tumbled around on the ground laughing out loud like frolicking little children.

"That'll teach you for being such a little worm!" she teased as she rose from the ground, wiping dirt from her robe. "You are the worm, worm! I am the bird coming to get you!" he responded as he sat himself up. "Go sleep with the pigs!" she said, gently tapping his foot with her own. "I sleep close enough to you as it is" he quipped. "Why, you little!" she laughed as she kicked dirt into his eyes. They laughed for a good while before Ryam rose.

He met her eyes with his own – green as pine. He looked to the ground and then up again. She could tell that he had something upon his mind as they stood there, right next to the old odorous piggery. "Is there something troubling you, Ry?" she asked, rather directly. He looked up at her. "What?" she asked. "Oh no. Nothing at all" he said and looked down at his feet yet again. "Lies" she said and smiled a coy smile. "What is it? It's not the pigscack bothering you, that much I know" she said inquisitively.

She, Ryam, Luke Left-Hand and Olli would always play down at the piggery when they were little. Back in the day, they used to have a huge stag roaming around in the sty that Yerdis was particularly fond of. She would call him 'Mister Squealer'. Not because he squealed much, but rather because he always was calm and collected compared to all the other swine. In time, as they played with him, they taught him to roll around in exchange of treats and even to give them rides around the grazing meadow. If the smell of muck bothered Ryam, it would be something new.

"Well" he said rather hesitantly. "Do you ever wonder…" he said before stalling. She hated when he did that. He would always blush and stall whenever he wanted to ask anything he could get in trouble for asking. He knew, she thought, that he could ask her anything in the world. They had known each other for ages.

"What?" she asked. She could sense that whatever he had on his chest, it was nothing to make light of. Ryam was not a very serious person, but whenever he said something that wasn't said in a jest, you could be sure it was honest.

"Do you ever wonder if this is truly the place for us?" he asked and stared at her intensely.

"Of course it is!" she said with disbelief. Which kind of madness had befallen him? How could he ever suggest anything otherwise? "What do you mean, Ry" she said.

"I mean life here at the cloister"

"This is the path to enlightenment" she followed up.

"I know" he said. "But sometimes… it doesn't feel like it"

"Would you rather be reborn into this world and live through it a thousand times more?" she said, horror-stricken at the fact that her good old Ryam could utter heresies such as these.

"No" he said. "But look at us. All we will ever be in this life are monks" he pleaded. "I'll wind up just like Master Leodoth… and you, Yerdis! Your body bears the taint of fertility! You will not reach Unity in this life either!" he exclaimed.

She was flabbergasted and taken totally aback.

"Yerdis" he said and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him. "We could escape. Lead a different life" he said and caressed her cheek with his other hand. "Just you and I" he followed up.

"Ryam!" she exclaimed. In a fit of shock she hit him across the face. "How… dare you? This is heresy!"

"Listen, Yerdis" he said as he let go of her. "I…"  
>Whatever he was trying to say was drowned out by the cloister's alarm bell. And as they looked up in shock and terror, Yerdis recognised a familiar shadow descent upon her. A giant for sounded in the sky. A huge ship of some sort was hovering above her.<br>Suddenly, bright beams of light emerged from its sides like enormous light-sabres, knocking down the old temple tower, setting the rest of the temple ablaze. Cables were dropped out from its underbelly and dark shadows bearing arms would glide down along them, blasting everyone that came in their way.

Was she dreaming yet again?

* * *

><p>Thanks to the guys at .com for providing a Sith'arii dictionary.<br>The dictionary has been slightly modified and the grammar I made up myself by mixing old Norse, French and bits of Korean.


	2. The Dark Lord and the Iron Queen

**Chapter 2: The Dark Lord and the Iron Queen**

The phones kept ringing and even though Sate did his best, he couldn't possibly keep up with the pace at which people would keep calling in. "Yes, we are aware" he would confirm to one. "The Senator is doing everything within his power" he explained to another.

Just two days ago a band of pirates had attacked a small village on Naboo and taken a bunch of jedi-munks as hostages. They were now all held up within the cloister, as the police had surrounded them. Speculation was that the Confederacy was behind it and now, the rhetoric in the senate had become all fire and brimstone. They were at the brink of war, it would seem, and this very much displeased the senator. He had led the 107th, the 311th, the 376th, the 476th and the 501st on Geonosis and had seen enough war to last him a lifetime. Or so he said.

"Sate?" the senator called from his office. "Hold on for a minute" Sate told the reporter on the line. Medias on Naboo were also very much interested in knowing what the senate was going to do. Declaring war was one thing, but that wouldn't necessarily fix the hostage situation.

"Lord Senator?" Sate replied.

"Come in here, would you? Get my brother Anastasios on the line" the senator commanded. "All right" Sate replied. "Excuse me, that'll be all the answers I'll be able to give for now. Goodbye, sir" he said to the reporter at the other end as he hung up.

He entered the senators' office. The senator held a relatively simplistic office compared to most other senators on Coruscant. Apart from a neat sofa of intricately cut wood, two stools and a coffee-table, the office had very little decor. His desk had nothing on it but a few documents, a picture of his sons, his laptop and stood against an oval wall-window that revealed the skyline of the giant ecumenopolis behind him.

He went to the holoport and dialled in the numbers for Anastasios, the senator's younger brother. "Do you want me to call his office or his private port?" he asked.

"Call him at the Lord Chief of Police's office. He should be there at this hour" the senator said. Before Anastasios became the chief of police, that office had been occupied by the senator. Rumours were that he was slowly becoming as competent a politician as his older brother and might soon be invited into the brotherhood of the Sith. Sate wondered if Anastasios had it in him to take the senator's place, however. Anastasios had heart that was too kind for intergalactic politics.

"Alright" Sate said and entered the remaining digits. After delaying for a minute or so, the Lord Chief of Police finally picked up, as a hologram of him appeared in the senator's office. He looked much like his older brother, but his features were less square and his hair was not yet completely grey.

"Kai!" he said. He was wearing his official police uniform and had sweat on his forehead. It was obvious that he was quite busy with taking care of the situation. "Thank the Gods! We have a real damn mess on our hands this time!" the Chief said.

"I am quite aware, Ana" the senator said. "It is about to get a lot messier, it would seem. The senate has put forward evidence that the Confederacy is behind this. Chancellor Valorum is trying to muster support in the senate to declare war, using the report as a _Casus Belli_" the senator explained. "Or rather, the Vice Chancellor is.."

"War?" Anastasios exclaimed incredulously. "Have they lost their minds?"

"Perhaps" the senator said and rose from his chair. He approached the hologram of his brother.

"I fear, however, that they might have been mislead; I fear foul play is involved" Kaisaros said. "Sate, will you please bring me the copy of the senate's report?" he asked his assistant. "It should be over there on my coffee table" the senator said and pointed to the old article of ebony furniture.

Sate looked to the coffee table. A single document lay between two empty scotch glasses.

"Yes sir" Sate said and handed the report to the senator.

"Please, brother, I need to compare some facts with you. You are my eyes on the ground" the senator said.

"Sure, whatever you want to know" Anastasios said.

"Tell me, which kinds of vessels have these pirates got and how many?" the senator asked.

"Wait a minute, brother" he said and started looking something up on his laptop.

"Two _Delaya-_class couriers and a _Munificent_-class star frigate. Pretty worn out, from what my men report" Anastasios confirmed.

"Yes" the senator pondered. "Interesting"

"The_ Munificent_-class star frigates are known to be used by the confederacy" the senator said.

"Do you know whether or not the couriers arrived _after _the frigate, Anastasios?" Sate asked.

The senator gave him an approving look. The senator respected Sate almost as much as Sate respected him. The senator said that he could only use people as clever as himself, and he found that Sate met that criteria.

"The courirers arrived some two hours after the frigate, in fact. That is, if we are to believe the traffic monitors' history of events" Anastasios answered.

"Interesting" the senator said. "See, the report makes no mention of the couriers"

"I does, however say, that it originates from your office" he said.

"From… My office?" Anastasios asked. He looked horror-stricken. "That's impossible!"

"I take it that you have nothing to do with this report, then?" the senator asked.

"No… No, I can't say I have" he answered.

"I would look through your staff and look for moles, then. In the meantime, I think it is pretty say that this document is a forgery" he said.

"It's almost as if someone rushed this report out and sent it to the senate before a proper report could be made" the senator said.

"That's... certainly a possibility. Who would do that, though?" Anastasios asked.

"I would certainly like to know that as well" Kaisaros replied.

"Well, I'm quite busy, I'm afraid. I'll call you later, brother. Keep the situation under control. No rash moves"

"Understood" Anastasios said. "Give Tiberios my regards"

"I shall" the senator replied as the communication line was cut.

"Well… What now, Kaisaros?" Sate asked.

"Now we take this to the senate floor and demonstrate to the high chancellor that this report is a forgery" the senator replied.

"Come the morrow, there's a gathering of the senate. Anastasios should be able to provide me with a more accurate version of the report by then. Until then, all we can do is wait and hope that things on Naboo don't turn bloody"

Anastasios was a capable Chief of Police. It was only rarely that he would foul something up.

"Call all senators that owe me a favour or that we have dirt on. I'll need all the help I can get for tomorrow"

* * *

><p>The next day, Sate helped his employer into the traditional senatorial toga. As he was an Elder of the Sith, he had the right to wear an orange and black toga, but he chose to wear the traditional white and red one instead. The senator never wore his feelings on his sleeve, but Sate had known him for too long to let it go by unnoticed that he was nervous.<p>

"We're going to be fine, Senator" Sate said as the senator studied himself in the mirror. Kaisaros turned his head and looked him in the eyes.

"Let us hope you are right" he said and paused.

"lest there will be war"

"I know" Sate said as he combed the senators hair. "I know".

Thirty minutes later, the senator met up with the other representatives of the Chommel system. Every system had their own platform within the giant senate hall, with two senators from each. In total the republic consisted of 1024 systems, though in reality, this number had been lowered to 842 after the confederacy seceded.

"Kaisaros! Good friend! Nice to meet you!" the Gungan Jeiden Koss, CEO of the Koss Emporium greeted him as he treaded unto the platform. "I hear you are going to take a stance against the war?" the gungan asked.

"I am" the senator confirmed as he shook the gungan's hand.

"Good! Good!" the gungan laughed.

"War is bad for business. I stand behind you as always, Kaisaros!" he confirmed.

"Too bad you cannot vote" the senator said.

"I could use a few reliable votes right about now"

"Not here or on Naboo!" the gungan said.

"Luckily your little brother is trying to do something about that, just as you tried to back in the day. We gungans are forever grateful"

The bell tolled thrice.

"Looks like we are about to start" the gungan said, as Kaisaros found his way to the front of the platform.

"Let it be know that this is the opening of the seventh senatorial meeting of the 25,031st year since the founding of the republic" the Chairman announced. "Long live the Republic!"

"Long live the Republic!" the senate roared in unison.

"The Supreme Chancellor Valorum speaks!" the frail old chairman spoke.

The Chancellor's platform floated in the middle of the senate. It had four seats; two for the Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor that were elected every eighth year and two for the Consuls, who were elected every year.

The supreme chancellor rose. He was no older than in this fourties, yet he had the demeanour or a much older man. Some said that he had early onset dementia, but such rumours had never been confirmed. One thing was for sure; the Chancellor had grown feeble-minded as of late. He would not get reelected by the next election-cycle.

"Err… Ladies and… err… gentlemen" he said. "The time has come for us in this republic to… err.. bebattle those who call us their foes…"  
>The Vice Chancellor Maegun rose. Even though he was not formally the head of state, everyone knew that he was the true ruler of the republic. Valorum was a mere puppet and Maegun was the puppeteer. The Chancellor sat himself down and held his tongue.<p>

"Honoured Lords and Ladies! Senators of the Eternal Republic! Today we hold the second of three required votes on whether we shall defendend ourselves or perish! Today, we cast the votes of whether we shall defend the Republic or let her die at the hands of the Confederate scoundrels! Make no mistake about it! This attack, that happened just a few days ago, was not just against ourselves or the Order of the Jedi. This was the Confederacy against the world and the moral precepts which guide human relations among people everywhere. It was an act of barbarism, born of a society which wantonly disregards individual rights and the value of all life and seeks constantly to expand and dominate other systems!"

About four fifths of the senate applauded. This worried Sate. The senator, however, seemed calm as ever.

"With this attack, the confederacy has made its intentions clear! For too long have we given these usurpers free roam. They take us for weak cravens! The time has come to strike! Let us give them war!" the Vice Chancellor roared.

Once again, most of the senate cheered.

"The core worlds stand with me and have already raised their legions! 150 billion proud soldiers and 250.000 mighty destroyers are ready for deployment! The Great Honoured Bail Organa of Alderaan has been granted the title of _Legatus of The Core Worlds_ and will lead its legions into battle!"  
>Bail Organa rose from his seat as the senate applauded him.<p>

"With him follow Lords Rasmos Antilles, Haemonos Aldus, Ermanos Aldus, Hector Kuat, Umann Frajus, Esteban Gyrad, Átor Quel-Nosh, Makedón Ballissus, Konstantinos Kortessus, Erlenos Pantirus, Arlenus Pantirus and all their levies"

Once again, the senate applauded as some of the most prominent men of the Core systems rose. The most prominent was of course the Legatus Bail Organa. His platform was on the far side of the senate, but Sate had still noticed that he had not cheered with the other senators. Bail was a very influential man, being the current ruler of the rich farming-world Alderaan. If the senator could sway him to his cause, perhaps they stood a chance.

"The colonies stand with me as well! Within four days, they will have raised another 207 billion soldiers and 22.000 destroyers to crush the confederate insurgency!" the Supreme Chancellor declared.

"Rhaesh Cantor has been granted the title of _Legatus of The Colonies _and will lead its legions into battle!"

"With him follow the lords Ewstasius Corr, Marlan Onassis, Estoc Beien, Han Felanus, Rw'exi Ekhlittianitian, Derren Merle and all their levies!"

"The Inner Rim also stands with us! They are able to supply us with 90 billion soldiers and 40.000 destroyers. Markus Scipius has been granted the title of _Legatus of The Inner Rim _and will lead its legions into battle!  
>With him follow the lords Este Rûmanum, Jagged Fell, Gor'ex Exxor, Gurmr Dwaskur, Markos Kikeros, Tunto Depp and and all their levies<p>

"What remains of the Mid-Rim is able to supply us with 60 billion soldiers and 30.000 destroyers. Ekhart Amidala has been granted the title of _Legatus of The Midrim _and will lead its legions into battle!  
>With him follow the lords Caeisarus Palpatine, Carth Iade, Ingram Tapala, Obessus Verum, Pantiis Corotei, Daarox Palaigolos and all their levies!"<p>

Kaisaros rose as the rest of the senate applauded him and the other lords mentioned.

"The frumentarii report that the confederate states have turned on each other and are competing with each other for control. They estimate that the confederate army can muster about a third of the men that we can. Given this information, it is clear that now is the time to strike! Long live the republic!" the Vice Chancellor declared. He was certainly quite a demagogue, Sate had to concede.

The senate roared with fervour.

"Does anyone stand against a declaration of war?" the chairman asked.

"I" Kaisaros declared and rose from his seat. For a moment, there was an awkward pause. A few senators applauded him.

"Name yourself, senator" the chairman said.

"Caeisarus of the Palpatines of Naboo" Kaisaros answered. The senator was of Alderaanian descent, but as the senate was mostly Coruscantian, the senator used the Coruscantian version of this name. Such was customary for all senators of Alderaanian culture.

"From whence do you hail, Senator Caeisarus of the Palpatines?" the chairman asked.

"That ancient system of Chommell, Honoured Chairman" he replied as protocol prescribed.

"And who supports Senator Caeisarus of the Palpatines, senator of the Chommell system in his position?" the chairman asked. A few senators rose, as far as Sate could tell, about a sixth of the senate. The chairman and his assistants began counting the protesting senators.

"Speak your case, Caeisarus of the Palpatines of Naboo, Senator of the Chommell system" the chairman spoke.

The senator held a short break as the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor and both Consuls stared down upon him. One of the consuls, Queen Jamilla of Naboo had a self-satisfied grin upon her lips.

"Honoured senators of the Republic of a thousand years!" the senator started out.

"Twenty-four years ago we went to war. Twenty-four years ago, the confederacy declared its independence. Twenty-four years ago, we raised our levies, and twenty-four years ago, I lead five legions into combat" he held a pause, as he looked from one end of the senate to another.  
>"In service to the Republic, I took Arbra and vanquished the confederate forces at Omwat. In service to the republic, I took Triton from a force three times larger than my own!" he said as he hammered his fist into the railing in front of him. "In service to the republic, I did not return to Naboo when I heard that the confederate forces broke through at Ryndellia. And when the confederates descended upon Naboo, I held the line at Agomar, as I had been ordered to. Because of my fidelity, I lost my wife and my sons lost their mother" the senator said. He held a short break before he continued.<p>

"For five years we fought. For five years I suffered only one defeat, when mine and lord Markus Scipius' forces were repelled at Geonosis. A few weeks later a truce was signed"

_"Vietovesur-monot Karzanegu" _he said.

"A great triumph was held for me upon my return to Naboo, yet for many years, I cursed these words. '_The same status as before the war'. _Literally nothing had been won nor lost during the conflict. My boys were no longer small infants when I returned. They didn't even recognise me. I didn't hear my youngest son's first words, nor did I witness his first steps"

"Honoured senators, last time we went to war, the republic did not lose any of her territory. But neither did she win any. Instead we gave her billions of widows and widowers, fatherless children, brothers without brothers and even more forlorn hopes and broken dreams"

"Mistake not my position for cowardice. No-one wants to see the republic reunited once again more than I, but nothing good ever comes from war; luckily, there are other solutions" the senator said. A silence had befallen the senate. Normally people would whisper in the corners as speeches were held, but it seemed as though those whispering tongues has been silenced. This was a good sign, Sate knew.

"Before we cast the second of three obligatory votes, I would like to remind the senate why the confederacy broke off in the first place. Let us not forget that it was us that tried to tell them whether or not they could keep slaves. Now, Keeping slaves is terrible barbarism, let no man claim that I said it is not, but how much more civilised is war truly? Here in the core systems and the colonies, granting the slaves liberty was easy, since our economies were never that heavily dependent upon them anyways. This, however, is less true in the outer-rims, which make up the greater part of the Confederacy of Independent Systems" he said.

"I propose we go to the Geonosians, the Quarren and the Muunilist and allow them to purchase and sell workers in indentured servitude if they rejoin the republic, under the conditions that all indentured servants are so only for a maximum of seven years, are forgiven all debts and can only be traded on certain systems, under the supervision of a republican quaestor. They are not fools. They know that they could not withstand the republic for long. If offered such terms, surely they would rejoin us. And if they did, the rest would follow suit" the senator explained.

An uproar broke out in the senate. Half the senate cheered the other half booed. "He has a way with words" Sate thought.

"Quiet! Quiet!" The chairman said. "The Supreme Chancellor will reply to the Senator Caesarius of the Palpatines".  
>The Vice Chancellor rose instead.<p>

"I will not put your courage into question" Vice Chancellor Maegun said. "We have all heard of your valour in the battles of Geonosis and Triton. No man can call that into question. But had those words been spoken by any other man, they might have been misconstrued as cowardice. Perhaps the senator has forgotten that _we_ are not the aggressors here? Perhaps he has forgotten the hostage-situation that is playing out in his own back yard as we speak? If we sit back and do nothing, let alone offer them such favourable terms, it would be a sign of weakness!"

"That's another thing, I fear" Palpatine said. "It would seem that misleading evidence has been presented to the senate and that the _Casus Belli _therefore is invalid"

A collective gasp of shock and awe commenced in the senate.

"Lord Chairman, I present to you the report made by Naboo's Chief of Police. Even though the first report also claims to be from his office, you will see that there are some grave differences between the two. The Chief of Police, my brother Anastasios, confirms that the one presented before the senate is a forgery"

A floating drone brought the document from Kaisaros' hand to the Chairman. The elderly Gran put on his spectacles and studied the document. The senate held its breath while he did so.

"It is true" the chairman concluded.

"But the report you have handed me here is not identical to the one presented before the senate. It's close, but there is one difference; the one presented before the senate does not claim to come from your brother's office, but rather from the Frumentarii"

The senator remained silent. Although Sate knew he was horror-stricken, he didn't let it show.

Vice Chancellor Maegun smiled a crooked smile before he spoke.

"Yes, it would indeed seem that the senate's report is not entirely accurate, but please note that the report presented to the senate stems from an intercepted correspondence between two high-ranking confederate officers that happened _before _the actual attack. It would seem reasonable to assume that they merely changed their plans slightly before executing them. After all, the attack _did _occur, as indicated in the report"

"Excuse me" the senator said. "That must have been a… clerical error"

"Does the Senator Palpatine wish to add anything further?" the chairman asked.

Palpatinos held a brief pause before answering.

"No. I do not" he said reluctantly.

"Arise, ye who support Senator Caeisarus of the Palpatines of Naboo!" the chairman announced.

A good third of the senators rose.

"Arise, ye who support High Chancellor Finis of House Valorum of Coruscant!"  
>The rest of the senators arose.<p>

"The second of three votes have passed in favour of war. Long live the republic!"

"Long live the republic!" the senators cried in unison

"This meeting is adjourned. The senate shall gather once again in 72 hours!" the Chairman said.

After that the senator stormed off, with Sate in pursuit.

"I'm sorry, Lord Senator, I had no idea the report I gave you was incorrect" Sate apologised.

"I know" the senator said. "This was not some kind of error. This was deception"

They stopped and waited in the great corridor leading up to the senate. "Who, exactly, gave you that report, Sate?" the senator asked as they stood by one of the hall's giant monolithic columns.

"The Queen Consule Jamilla, I believe" Sate answered.

"Yes" the senator said. "As I suspected".

Just then, Queen Jamilla passed by.

"Senator Palpatinos" she said with a kind smile upon her lips. "My condolences. I sympathise with your cause. Too bad that so few other senators do… especially after your little stumble today. What happened, Kaisaros?" she asked.

"May your years be short and cruel and may your womb never quicken, you witch!" he said and spat. "You very well know what happened. Mark my words, Queen Consule, I shall never forget what you have done to me today!" he cursed at her.

"My dear Kaisaros that is no tone to take with the royal majesty of Naboo. Remember, you are only a senator because my niece appointed you one" she replied.

"Why, Jamilla? Why this treachery?" the senator asked.

"Do not take it personally, senator Palpatinos. If we are ever to crush the confederacy, the time to strike is now. The confederacy is weak as of the moment being. We may never get a chance like this ever again. I knew that you were the only one who might have convinced the senate to believe otherwise"

"And that is why you let me make a fool of myself in front of the entire senate?" the senator asked.

"Exactly, dear Palpatinos. Who's going to oppose us now?" the monarch asked him with a sinister smile.

"You…" the senator said.

"Prepare your troops, Senator. Remember, during war, the Legatus decides when and where your legions go. He decides whether or not to send you on serveral task that may or may not be… rather suicidal. It may be in your best interest not to oppose the Vice Chancellor, come wartime"

"You think you can threaten me?" Kaisaros asked.

"Remember this. Your legatus… is my uncle" she said and smiled. Then she walked away.

"Sate" the senator said after a few moments of silence.

"Yes sir?" Sate replied.

"Call Bardas. Tell him we need his services on Naboo. Offer him a million credits"

"That's a lot" Sate replied.

"We need him a lot" the senator argued.

"And call General Orissis"


	3. Chapter 3: Res Publicæ Salvatores

**Chapter 3: Res Publicæ Salvatores**

**Author's Note: **Feel free to write a review. I would really like to know what people think about this, criticism or not.

* * *

><p>Bail Organa lay awake. As much as he tried, he had no luck in embracing sweet, invigorating sleep. He knew that war was an unfortunate failing at governance, to be avoided at all times, but the will of the senate was the will of Coruscant. The Republic was a divine institution, so who was he to question its judgement? Was the force not strong with the senate? Was it not heresy to question its will?<p>

He tried to shake the thoughts from his mind, but there he was: awake and unsuccessful in his endeavours. Cool summer's rain was dripping on the dry soil outside as petrichor filled his bedroom and worked its way up his nostrils. Whenever he was away and missed home, he would think of that smell. Sure, the smell of petrichor was not unique to the dry lands of Alderaan, but it was still quite unique here. It had a scent that was quite unlike anything elsewhere. Perhaps it was the smell of duneflowers and the heathland that mixed in, but no one could deny that the smell of Alderaan in the rain was something special.

Many years ago, he had thought back to that smell, reminiscing of the loving pregnant wife that awaited him at home. He had been but a young lad back in the day, no older than 19 years of age. His older brother and father had been killed in battle against the Confederate general Melkart Baraq, and fuelled by rage, the young Bail had gone to the Galactic Senate, demanding command of the legions of Alderaan. He had sworn vengeance against Baraq. He had sworn to the senate that he would not cease until the day that Lord Melkart and his ilk were all dead. He had sworn oaths of razing the Mon Calamari civilization to the ground and pouring poison in the ocean of Cal for their disloyalty. In return, the senate gave him an army.

In spite of his foolhardiness and anger, he won a few minor but decisive victories. For Coruscant, such clear-cut victories were a rarity. The Confederacy lacked heavy cruisers, but what they lacked in firepower, they made up in mobility. Whenever you thought you had them pinned down, their forces would evaporate into thin air and strike at the place you were most vulnerable. They were masters at raiding supply lines, which greatly belated the advance of the Coruscantii forces. Whenever the Republic gained some ground in one sector of the galaxy, they lost some in the other end.

One day a few years into the war, Bail had managed to corner a large host of confederate forces on Naboo. They had occupied the planet two months earlier and had dug in at Theed, keeping many of the local nobles in captivity. Bail had managed to block them off from hyperspace in a quick and daring move, which had trapped the confederates on the surface. When he had heard that the commander of the garrison had been Deraz Baraq, brother of Melkart, bloodlust had fallen upon him. On the eve of battle, he had prepared himself by donning a red chlamys over his armor. It bore a golden sun-disc, extending 14 arms down below it, the sigil of his noble family.

In a decision he would never forget, he ordered the bombardment of the city. He had no wish for a lengthy siege. "Do not cease until the city is nothing but smouldering cinders" he had said to his men orbiting the planet. Eight hours of merciless shelling later, he had ordered the charge. The horns bellowed and the cannons thundered. He had personally led the vanguard as they stormed towards the smoking ruins of a formerly great city. He had led them, as they were all engulfed by flames.

When Bail woke, he was drenched in sweat. He sat himself up in a quick, jerking motion, letting out a faint gasp. The memories of war were distant, but they still visited him at night. Now, the threat of another war loomed in the distance.

Raymos turned around next to him, as he woke. He sat up next to Bail and put his arm around him, caressing his bare chest with the other hand. "It's okay, beloved" he said as he gently kissed his cheek. His kisses were as soft and warm as the summer rain. He leaned his head of thick raven hair against Bail's chest and cuddled up to him. Bail let his fingers run through Raymos' curls as he embraced him.

"Another bad dream?" Raymos asked as a cool summer's breeze streamed through the bedroom, fluttering lightly in the byzantine drapes. "It'll all be okay. They won't go to war. You'll see" Raymos said as he kissed Bail's neck, ever so gently.

"You sound very much like your sister" Bail proclaimed and brushed Raymos off. He got out of bed, opened his large wooden wardrobe and put on an elaborately embroidered orange chiton.

"Even the wisest of men can make foolish decisions" he said as he fastened his belt.

"You sound so dour" Raymos said. "Always winging and frowning. What is to be done with you?" Raymos asked.  
>"Come back to bed – I'll make you smile again" Raymos said in a playful voice and patted lightly on the purple linens. Bail found himself tempted, but he knew that he had no time.<p>

"I cannot. I am expecting a call from the Honoured Vice-chancellor Maegun. It would be best if you headed home" Bail said. Though love between men was the expected standard on Alderaan, most other cultures frowned upon it. Bail knew it would be in bad taste to have his lover around when Maegun called. Though Alderaanii had been mighty long before Coruscant came into prominence, the Coruscantii was the dominant culture these days. Sometimes, it was even easy to forget that the Republic had been founded on Alderaan, not Coruscant. I was easy to understand, however; for as long as Coruscant had been the capital, The Republic had been called 'the Coruscantii Republic'.

"Don't worry, tiger" Raymos said. "I'll stay out of it. Perhaps I could have breakfast with you and my dear Breha afterwards?" he suggested.

Bail considered it for a moment. He remembered that duck, figs and oranges had been brought in for breakfast. "Yes, good idea. I am sure she has missed you" he agreed. Breha was the name Bail had given his wife when he married her. On Alderaan, women did not have names as they were not considered people in the same way men were. They were named after their father until they were married off and given a new name by their husbands.

He took a look at his clock. It was seven in the morning.

"Ellas" he called. A servant stuck her head into the bedroom. She was old and frail, but she had served Bail's family ever since she was young, so he had kept her when he took over the palace after his late father, in spite of her age.  
>"Perpare a bath for me. I am expecting a call from Maegun in an hour" he said.<br>"Yes, Kyrios" she said before she hurried off.

"I'll see you at breakfast, Raymos" Bail said and gave his lover a kiss on the cheek. As he headed down the long arched hallway of white marble towards his wife's bedroom, he examined the intricate inlaid patterns of serpentine rock in the floor. He had had it done last year, and he was very much pleased with the result. The darker floor required more cleaning, but his servants had done a good job.

He knocked on the door to his wife's bedroom before he entered. She was in a state of disrobe. So were her two bedmaids.

Bail clapped his hands twice. The three women woke. The two bedmaids hurried out as Breha yawned and stretched. "That time already, is it?" she asked with narrow eyes. "Yes, dear. I want you ready in about an hour. You don't have to do anything fancy with your hair. The Coruscantii are dreadfully casual when it comes to those matters" Bail said. "I think will be wearing a Xanthus cape over a short jade dalmatic and a long purple tunic. You can coordinate colours accordingly" he explained.

"How many people will be there?" she asked as she put on her undergarments. "No more than thirty people or so" he replied. "Oh" she said with mild surprise. "You should have woken me earlier. I will have to look presentable" she said.

"There's little reason to. Don't worry, dear" Bail said. He never quite understood women and why they cared so much about their looks. Before he learned about cosmetics, he had always thought that gold was one of the most valuable resources per volume. apparently not, as he had learned after he took Breha as his wife.

"With that many people in the meeting, surely Queen Jamilla will be amongst them. I cannot allow myself to be outshone by our political allies. It will make us look weak" Breha argued as she left the room. It was often said on Alderaan that women did not have the disposition for politics and other intellectual activities, but quite often, Breha would prove herself a more than capable political animal. She was a good wife, Bail thought. Although they had been married at the behest of Raymos to secure a political alliance between the houses Organa and Antilles, Bail was happy with her. She was a good friend and a dear ally. She would often lend him her advice, and even though he did not always follow it, he would listen.

"Oh!" Bail exclaimed a few short moments after Breha had left the room. "Your brother will be joining us for breakfast!" he yelled down the hall.

"Really?" she responded from the women's privy. "It will be good to see him again" she said.

"I thought you might like that, yeah" Bail said as he wandered down the hall and leaned against the wall just next the door Breha was talking from behind.

"He's still in my bed if you want to see him" Bail said.

"I might if I have time" she said. A flush sounded.

"Will you send for my servants? I will need help with my cosmetics" she said.

"Ellas is preparing a bath for me as we speak. I shall tell her to fetch your servants when I see her" Bail replied.

"Good. I will see you in an hour then" she said.

"Indeed. In the conference room." Bail said.

"I know" Breha said. Bail left her to her own devices.

He went outside, through the peristyle, where some of his servants were gathering herbs and flowers in preparation of his bath. "Good morning, Kyrios" they greeted him as he went by. He was proud of his peristyle; it was huge, oblong, had a great fountain in the middle and was decorated by blossoming cherry trees imported from Naboo. Bail liked to consider himself a man of humility and temperance, but Breha had insisted that with prestige came docile vassals and awe-stricken allies. Certainly, Bail had to admit, his villa had grown into a quite awe-inspiring palace in the last fifteen years or so. What had once been a rather humble palace made of grey rock and oxidised bronze domes was now made of marble, gold and had had the green metal of the domes refitted and inlaid with ivory to form even greater, more majestic domes.

He entered the baths and found himself enveloped in steam and warmth. The public baths were a nice place to go, if you wanted to have an interesting conversation with nobles and laymen alike, but those places were often filthy and unhealthy to bathe in. Unlike the public baths, however, the water in Bail's own pool was changed every day.

The hot pool had been filled with water, soap and herbs, ready for him to descend into it and cleanse his body and mind. It was often said on Alderaan, that the mind would always follow the mind; a man who was strong in mind would train and become strong in body. A man who was strong in body would likewise be strong in mind. Therefore, bathing and athletics were two proud traditions of the Alderaanii.

He dismissed Ellas, telling her to bring some female servants with her and go see his wife in the women's privy. "Yes, Kyrios" the old crone said and bowed.

Bail took of his clothes off and descended into the warm water. He breathed in deeply through his nose, letting the smell of the oils and herbs up through his nostrils. The servants had put a little too much lavender in for his taste, but it was not like it mattered much; after all, no one could smell him through a hologram conference. He studied the ceiling as he had so many times before. Elegant mosaics from times long since passed garnished the ceiling and floor with depictions of tales and gods long since forgotten. They told tales of hate, love and war. Tales of great civilisations, whose names no one knew anymore. Of an empire, which no longer stood.

Bail often found himself wondering what the detailed mosaics where depicting, but he knew that to the day he died, he would never know the answer. Knowledge of the old gods was proscribed by the Jedi order. Even dabbling with such matters of heresy could have serious consequences.

He dressed himself in the clothes he had told his wife he would wear. He also wore a simple golden coronet surmounted with sharp spikes, the traditional crown of Alderaanii kings.

Sometime later, he awaited her in the conference-room. He checked the watch which hung on the wall. It would be no more than five minutes until the Vice Chancellor called.

Suddenly, she entered, wearing black kohl and malachite eyeshadow, her lips reddened with maroon lipstick. Her long black hair was braided and crowned by a sapphire-adorned silver diadem and palla that complimented her eyes and pale skin. She wore a long purple pallium with long hanging sleeves, matching silk gloves and a silver maniakis, engraved with religious symbols. A long necklace of black pearls and beads of rosewood hung around her neck.  
>Even though many years had passed since they first met, he could not help but find her beautiful. Even to this day. She always had a certain air of grace in whatever she did.<p>

"Dear wife" he said as he bowed forward and kissed her hand.

"Husband" she responded with a smile and deep dimples that reminded him very much of her brother.

"Are you ready?" Bail asked.

"As always" she said.

They turned on their holodeck and appeared in Maegun's office. Approximately fifty people was assembled in the room through their holodecks: a few more than Bail had anticipated.

"Senator Organa" Queen Consul Jamilla of Naboo greeted him. She was wearing white make-up with rosy cheeks and an absurdly large wig as custom prescribed on Naboo. Her jewels and fine clothes were of the finest quality, stuff of legends. As far as Bail could tell, this was much to Breha's chagrin.

"Bail Organa! Autokrator of Alderaan! Legatus of the legions of the Core systems!" Maegun said with a cheerful grin and open arms, exposing his linen-covered gut. Maegun and Bail where old friends and had been political allies for eight years, ever since Maegun became a senator. Ever since, he had become a glutton and his waist had expanded accordingly, likewise had the hair on his head receded and his beard grown long. This was quite normal on Corellia, his native planet as it was seen as prestigious, but not quite so on Coruscant where he lived these days. "My friend! I wish I could embrace your hologram, but alas! I cannot!" he said and laughed with a hearty smile.

"And Breha, his pretty wife! How are you?" he asked, with an interest that seemed less than honest.

"We're well. The harvest has been bountiful this summer" Breha answered in place of her husband. "Good, good" Maegun said. "And how about the soldiers? Are they ready for war? You know we'll need your hoplites" he said.  
>Alderaan had mediocre ships and artillery, and Alderaanii light infantry was nothing special either. The heavy infantry in mechanised exoskeletons, however, was the stuff of legends. During the first civil war, they had easily held off armies thrice their own size. These were called the hoplites. They were the pride of Alderaan, stemming mostly from the warrior-kingdom of Mnemdaimonia.<p>

"No man is ever truly ready for war, my friend" Bail said. "But yes; the troops of Alderaan will follow you. The twenty-seven kingdoms of Alderaan have all raised their banners in the name of Coruscant. So have the Dukes and counts of Attika and the off-world colonies of Alderaan"

"Good to hear" Maegun said. "And right you are; few men are truly prepared for the horror that is war. I fought during the civil war too, lest you forget!" he said facing the rest of the room. He was not trying to convince Bail.

"But at some stage, any fruit will become ripe for the plucking; delay and the sweet fruit shall spoil. As of now, the Confederacy has become split against itself. We shall strike now or we will let this advantage go to waste" Maegun said.

"I thought this was a war of defence. In the Casus Belli, it is stated that the Confederacy are the aggressors. Have we not confirmed that they have attacked us at Naboo?" Bail asked.

"Well, this is partly why are holding this meeting today, dear Organa" Maegun said. "Officially, they have denied it. They have not declared war against us either. But they might as well have" he said and pointed to a young man in the room.

"Meet our young, ambitious man, Arnton Gyrad" Maegun said.

The young man bowed deeply in an overly courteous greeting. "It is good to meet you, Senator Organa" the young man said. "Long live the Republic"

"Long live the Republic" Bail said in reply.

"Lord Gyrad is a dear trusted friend of mine" Maegun said. "Arnton is his son. He's also the Deputy Director of the Frumentarii. He was the one that made sure to… edit the report that was presented to the senate"

This took Bail aback. "Are you saying the report is falsely implicating the Confederacy?" he asked.

"Perhaps it does, perhaps it does not. At this point, who knows?" Maegun said and shrugged. "Pirates, mercenaries, Confederates… the scoundrels are all the same"

"To deceive the Senate is high treason!" Bail protested.

"Is it? And defecting from the Republic is not?" Maegun countered. "Bail, imagine the precedence we set here, if we do nothing! If we show the world that you can secede with impunity, how long could it possibly be before the Republic disintegrates?"

"Surely there must be some other way. War should be the last resort" Bail said.

"It is" an old man with a rough face said as he rose. His outfit identified him as an executive of Oulofr Materials.

"Do you really think the citizens of the Republic would accept us turning the other cheek to slavery in the outer-rims like that fool Palpatine believes?" he old man argued.

"We're falling back on the triarii, senator Organa. If we embraced slavery the Core Worlds would be the once seceding. Slavery provides an unfair advantage to the outer-rims who have slaves more readily available. It is bad for business and the economy of the central rims as a whole" the old man said.

"Lord Palpatinos spoke of indentured servitude with restrictions, not slavery. Could we at least not try that?" Bail asked.

"That would be a compromise that would satisfy no one. Internal strife would still be a huge problem" Maegun argued.

"Surely, internal strife is better than total war" Breha argued.

"Internal strife is what will tear the Republic apart if we don't crush the Confederacy" Queen Jamilla replied sharply.

"Neither party wants war; but one of them would rather make war than let the nation survive; and the other would rather accept war than let it perish. And so war will come"

Bail was silent.

"Yes, we lied to the Senate, Bail. We betrayed Coruscant to save her. I confess it" Maegun said with a passionate fire in his eyes. "I have sinned; but my sin is born from patriotism"

"Will you join us, old friend?" Maegun said. Maegun was known as a sly politician, but it was not to be forgotten that he was also a staunch patriot. "Will you join us in sin?"

Bail didn't know what to say. When Maegun had told him that they needed to talk, he had never expected it would have been about something as severe as high treason. Before Bail was done thinking it through, he heard his lips ask a terrible question; "What would you need me to do?"  
>Surely, Bail was not actually considering joining his old friend in his madness. But here his lips where, contemplating what Bail knew deep within himself was deeply immoral; to deceive the Coruscantii Republic and lead it into war.<p>

He knew however, that Maegun was right. There were plenty of independent systems and nations that stood at Coruscant's doors. The pirates of Pirik, the Trade Federation and Terminian Kingdoms were all ready to strike at the Republic's rich cities the second they had the change. Should the Republic dissolve, the Galaxy would descent into a state of total anarchy, barbarism and savagery. Beyond the galaxy, in the Ostia Galaxy, lured the Yuuzhan Vong, ancient enemies of Coruscant, remembering old enmities and dreary defeats. Back during the Ostian War, victory had only been achieved through great arduousness, and at that, rarely so. And back then, the republic had stood as one. Should the Yuuzhan strike again, the scattered remnants of the republic that once was would fall one after the other.

"For now, I will need nothing but information from you, dear friend" Maegun said. He stroked his long hair as he spoke. "As you know, Senator Caeisarus is opposing me very openly in the senate, wishing to delay the inevitable" Maegun explained.

"The senator is a well-known Sith Lord" an old Jedi master from the crowd said. "We think he might be conspiring with other sinister parties within the confederacy to undermine and bring down the republic"

"He's already well on his way on Naboo!" Queen Jamilla exclaimed. "He won't admit to it, but he has had his scoundrelly friend General Orissis and his troops lead an open rebellion again my rule. He should be declared an outlaw immediately!"

"Well, an 'open rebellion' might be an exaggeration" Maegun said, trying to calm her down. _"Futile task" _Bail thought to himself.

"There is truth to what she says" a fair-haired general said. "General Orissis' troops are protesting on Naboo and their ships have blocked off the Chommel jump-gate and besieged the local parliament"

"The gall of them! 19 years ago, my uncle, who was king at that time, promised the troops full citizenship and voting rights once they had served for a full amount 15 years" the queen said. "He was a fool! I can't have proles like that be full citizens! Low born mongrels like that have no aptitude for politics and the likes. Such matters should be reserved for good men and women of high birth" she said. "Now Kaisaros has enticed them to rebel against me, demanding that I give them what my predecessor promised them!"

"As it turns out, to have the soldiers seize the jump-gate was a clever move; without the jumpgate, we can't attack Sullust and Triton" Maegun said. "Because Orissis' men are fiercely loyal to him, we can't bribe them or incarcerate Orissis. Arresting Orissis would mean that there would be no one to offer terms to" he continued.

"We can't attack the revolting soldiers either" Arnton Gyrad said. "Imagine the shitstorm that would trigger. Some of those soldiers are the sons of nobles from all around the Chommel system. To order our soldiers to attack other soldiers of the republic is not going to send the right signal either, regardless of whether or not they are rebels"

"Now, Caeisarus is of Alderaanii descent. A heritage of which he is very proud" Maegun explained.  
>"When the kings of Alderaan elected you as <em>Basileus, <em>you became the legal suzerain of all Alderanii, even those who live off-world. He will respect that"

The crowd looked attentively at Bail.

"We know that you have history with Caeisarus as well. You where the general that liberated Naboo back in the day. He is eternally thankful for you saving his two sons. That should make him trust you" Maegun said.

It was true. Bail had liberated Naboo, but he had hardly saved Palpatinos' sons. The only reason that had survived the liberation of Naboo was because they had been held in house arrest in the country side and where not present in Theed as Bail had bombed the city. Back then, they were only children, of course. For a brief minute, Bail felt ashamed of himself.

"We will need you to go come to Coruscant and talk to him. We will need you to befriend him and re-establish old bonds. We want you to tell us what he is planning" the old man said.

"We will need you to bring heavy hoplites unto Naboo under the guise of being there to sort out the hostage crisis" the fair-haired general said.

"We will delay the vote until you have accomplished this. Once your troops are in position we will decree an order for the arrest of the entire 501st legion and general Orissis. Once this is done, the jump-gate will finally be open, and we can freely declare war on the confederacy" Maegun explained.

Bail was silent for a while while he considered things. He looked to his wife. On the surface, she was clam as ever, but he knew she was terrified.

Bail recalled a story from his childhood. A forbidden tale from ancient times, recited to him by Ellas when he had been a mere child. In the tale, a war raged between the kingdoms of Fthiotios and Melos, two kingdoms that stood even to this day. A warrior had fled the fled a battle and was now hunted by his own men. The gods, whose names was now forgotten, had cursed him for his sins and when he returned to his family, his wife and children were all stricken down by a thunderbolt and brought to a realm of fire where they would burn forever. Whenever he sought refuge at families that took pity on him they met the same fate. The wells he drank from became poisonous and drought followed him wherever he went. In the end, he was told that he and his family would only ever be free if he had the soldier's death he was supposed to have.

And so he went to the soldiers of Melos armed only with his spear, shortsword and his hoplon and said "My name is Alesandros of Fthiotios! In the name of all the gods, I challenge all of you to be my bane" and so the first man attacked him and cut off his left foot. Alesandros responded by driving his spear through the heart of his enemy. Once that was done, he would break off the end of his spear and put it where his foot had once been.

And so once again, he yelled "My name is Alesandros of Fthiotios! In the name of all the gods, I challenge all of you to be my bane"

This time, the soldier who attacked him cut off he hand in which he was holding his shield. Alesandros paid no heed to the pain and proceeded to cut off his opponents head in one fell swoop. He no longer fought with a shield.

And so once again, he yelled "My name is Alesandros of Fthiotios! In the name of all the gods, I challenge all of you to be my bane"

Another man attacked him and took out Alesandros' eyes. Though he could not see, Alesandros took down his enemy when the enemy cried a warcry and revealed his position.

And so once again, he yelled "My name is Alesandros of Fthiotios! In the name of all the gods, I challenge all of you to be my bane"

This time, the soldier that attacked Alesandros managed to cut open his belly so all the entrails fell out, but Alesandros picked up his entrails and choked his foe to death with them.

And so Alesandros died an honourable man, forgiven of all sins.

Bail had often pondered the meaning of this tale, but somehow he felt as if he understood it a little better at this moment. He remained silent for a few more moments, as he considered what to do.

"And what if I should decline?" he asked the men of the gathering. "What if I should decline, present the recordings of the conversation to the senate and have you all declared outlaws?" he said.

"Oh" Maegun said. "Well, that would certainly be a shame. I had hoped you would have been patriotic enough to see things from my perspective, old friend"

"I do" Bail said. "But I also have my integrity to keep in mind"

"Your pride, surely you mean? How could a man with integrity ever let the Republic fall apart?" Maegun asked.

"I am sure Coruscant would beg to differ if they were ever told of this" Bail said.

"Oh, my old friend! Have you forgotten?" Maegun said with a laugh.

"I _am _Coruscant…"


End file.
